Birthday Blues
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: A strange wizard has made two big mistakes. One, he's kidnapped Princess Amber. Two, he's kidnapped her on the twins' birthday. Now he's regretting his decision…in more ways than one.


Birthday Blues

Summary: A strange wizard has made two big mistakes. One, he's kidnapped Princess Amber. Two, he's kidnapped her on the twins' birthday. Now he's regretting his decision…in more ways than one.

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own "Sofia the First."

A/N (warning, it's long and the ONLY A/N in this story): Hello, everybody! :) I know, I know. It's been quite some time. I apologize for that. School ended a while ago and actually begins again next week, and I have been busy nonstop this summer. I've been studying for my GRE test to be readmitted to school so I can work on my final degree: my doctorate. ;) Imagine it: Dr. AquaTurquoise… I think I may have to get some type of plaque with that on it! Haha.

Anyway, this story was inspired by one of the Swan Princess movies. I LOVE Queen Uberta, and I noticed a kindred spirit between her and Amber's potential 'me-me-me' moods, so I figured, why not? Please note this is going to be a bit more of a silly story and not super serious, despite the context. Lol. :D Oh, and to address a few things: one, I am not going to be around as much due to my studies, my job, and other things going on, so I apologize for that; two, I know I have a LOT of stories to catch up on reading, and I hope to get around to them eventually (be patient with me, lol); and three, after I finish this story and my other two or three I have planned, I'll be taking an even longer and necessary break from writing. It's been fun these last two years, and I have enjoyed every minute of it, but I need to step back for a while due to everything going on for me personally. There have been many great authors who've come around in the last two years that I've been writing, and I can't wait to see them flourish. :) With that said, it's not goodbye. It's just 'see you later.' :D If you've made it this far, I appreciate your patience. If not, I totally understand. :p With that said, let the story begin! (And by the way, I'm not sure when my next story will be out yet… Just keep an eye out as usual.)

PS: Yes, I saw "Elena of Avalor," and I already love it. Naturally, I like Esteban—cantankerous, serious, yet with a secret heart of gold deep, deep down. Haha. And Mateo is adorable with his sorcerer training (more playful than Cedric, of course), Gabe is very Eugene-esque and funny, Elena is amazing, Isabel is awesome with her genius prodigy thing going on, Naomi is pretty fun and quirky, the grandparents are endearing, the jaquins and other creatures are cool, and the other various characters are so interesting. Some of you already know I teach Spanish, so I'm fascinated by the Latino/Hispanic culture, and I like the direction they're going. I can't wait to see what else they do with it! Will I write stories for Elena's group? MAYBE…sometime down the road. Lol. Okay, enough about that. Onward to the story! Enjoy!

*STORY*

"Happy birthday, Amber!"

Amber cracked open one eye and stared sleepily at her brother, who was already dressed for the day. She whined as the sun streamed in through her window, illuminating the room a little too early for her taste. "Is it morning already?" she asked groggily.

" _And_ our birthday," James reminded her playfully as he shook her shoulder excitedly. "Come on! Dad already has our golden berry pancakes on the table. And Sofia said she has a surprise for us!"

The princess smiled thoughtfully at that. "Hmm. Sofia and her surprises…" She yawned and sat up, pushing the covers down. "Give me a few minutes to get ready, James. I'll see you at breakfast."

"Okay!" He took off from the girl's room, hurrying as quickly as he could to his own beloved stack of pancakes.

Amber rolled her eyes and smiled before sliding to the floor. She stretched and looked around before giggling happily. She raised her arms and squealed, "It's my birthday! Ahh!"

"Come on, Mr. Cedric!" Sofia encouraged her mentor as she all but dragged him down the steps of his tower. "We're going to be late to Amber's and James's birthday breakfast."

"I fail to see how that's a _bad_ thing," the sorcerer mumbled sleepily as he followed the princess. "Besides, I know how this routine goes. Prince James will eat Princess Amber's share of food, and they'll argue, leading to another unfortunate incident for which I will somehow be blamed. No, thank you. I think I'll sit this birthday out."

Sofia just smiled lightheartedly and giggled. "Always the positive one, Mr. Cedric. Look." As they stepped onto the final step, she turned to him. "Just help me out with this one itsy-bitsy little thing, and…I'll ask Dad to give you a day to sleep as long as you want."

He raised an eyebrow at her suggestion. "And since when do you have that sort of swaying power, my dear?"

She grinned. "There are perks to being the youngest, I guess."

He chuckled and moved past her. "I appreciate the sentiment, Princess, but I won't have you doing any of that for my sake. Besides, I've got a lot to do today, so let's go ahead and get this over with."

Sofia nodded and moved back beside him as they walked. "I may not have much 'swaying power' over my dad, but there's one person who just can't seem to deny me much anymore." She beamed up at her mentor, who rolled his eyes before returning the smile.

"You keep thinking that, Sofia." He paused near the table as Sofia sat down in her usual chair. Seeing a brief gesture from the queen, he smiled appreciatively and sat next to Sofia.

James hummed happily as he sat in his usual seat at the table. He picked up his fork and knife and looked toward Baileywick expectantly. "All right, Baileywick," he began, "bring on the pancakes!"

King Roland cleared his throat as the steward chuckled. "Um, James… Aren't you forgetting something?"

The blonde boy raised an eyebrow at his father. "What?"

"Amber," the king suggested with a wave of his hand. "It's kind of her birthday too."

"Aw, come on, Dad… I promise not to eat her share this time." He grinned cutely.

Queen Miranda smiled in humor. "Typical James… Just give her a few minutes to get down here, all right?"

The boy sighed dramatically. "Oh, fine. She has five minutes, and then I start celebrating this birthday solo!"

"At least he won't be a toddler this time," Sofia muttered to her mentor, who smirked at the recollection.

"Indeed…although I can't say his appetite has changed much since his days as an _actual_ toddler."

Back in Amber's room, the older princess had gotten dressed for the day in the golden dress bequeathed by her birth mother. It shimmered in the light and looked absolutely wonderful. Amber smiled happily as she twirled around a few times. "Flawless," she giggled with a sigh. "Good eye, Mom…"

She hummed as she sprayed some light perfume in the air and glided into it before setting the bottle on her vanity again. With one last look into the mirror, she nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect. Now I'm ready to go.'

"Indeed you are!"

The blonde gasped as she turned, catching sight of a hooded figure near her window. "Wh-Who are you?"

"None of your concern, dear princess. Now, be a dear and…" He lunged toward her, his hands held before him to cast a spell. "…stay frozen for a bit, would you?" He smirked as Amber froze in place, her eyes wide and her body completely rigid. "Now to leave the ransom note for the king…" He chuckled and flicked his wrist, producing a letter from thin air and tossing it onto the princess's bed before leaving with the girl in his clutches.

James groaned as time ticked on. He kicked his feet under the table out of boredom and twirled a fork in his hands. "What is taking Amber so long? I'm hungry!"

"She probably had to make sure she looked perfect for her birthday," Roland hinted with a grin. "You know Amber. She refuses to leave until every hair is in place and she has the best outfit."

"Kind of like you, Your Majesty," Baileywick joked lightly, receiving a sheepish grin from his old friend. "Still, I agree with Prince James. Princess Amber has been a bit longer than usual. I hope she hasn't become ill."

"I'll go check on her," Sofia volunteered as she stood up from her chair.

"I'll go with you," James told her with a yawn. "I've got to see just what is so important that she would keep us from the goldenberry pancake deliciousness."

With that, both royal children headed in the direction of Amber's bedroom.

Meanwhile, the hooded figure appeared out of thin air with Amber beside him, still in her frozen state. He opened the gate of a cell and used his powers to levitate the girl and usher her into the small space. He shut and locked the door before snapping his fingers once.

Amber blinked, her limbs functioning once more and her vision focused again. She frowned as she gripped the bars angrily. "Just who do you think you are, ripping me away from my family? Do you have any idea who I am?"

"I do indeed!" the figure quipped as he removed his hood, revealing an older man beneath. His silver beard curled just above his knees. His equally silver hair was free to rest about his shoulders. And his strange aquamarine eyes peered at her almost giddily. "Princess Amber of Enchancia. I've had my eye on you for a while, princess."

The blonde girl made a face and took a step backwards. "That's not very comforting. Who _are_ you anyway?"

"I'm Aqravusorin, the most studied wizard in the Outlands."

Amber frowned at his name. "Aqua-what now?"

"Grr, Aqravusorin!" He folded his arms and muttered, "It's a family name…" He glared at the snickering girl. "Most just call me Wizrin."

The princess calmed her giggles and blinked at him. "Why?"

"Uh, 'Wizard' and 'Aqravusorin' together…Wizrin? Hello? It's called _blending_."

Amber sighed. "Whatever. Look, Mister, I need to get back home. You're keeping me from my birthday!"

"Oh, well, happy birthday! Here, hold this." He handed her a candle and grinned expectantly as she stared at it in confusion. "…Well?"

"Well, what?" the princess asked, completely lost.

Wizrin rolled his eyes. "Blow it out."

"It's not even lit!" She gasped when the candle's wick suddenly burst into a small flame. "Okay, that's strange." She eyed Wizrin carefully. "What happens if I blow it out?"

He smirked. "Only one way to find out."

Taken by curiosity, she shrugged and blew on the wick, dousing the flame and causing the candle to burst into colorful streamers.

Wizrin grinned excitedly. "Whoa! Nice job, Princess Amber! Happy birthday!" Suddenly, his mood did a complete turnabout and he gave the girl a deadpanned look. "Now let's get something straight. You're my hostage."

"Um, excuse me?" Amber stomped her foot in frustration. "Look, Wizzo-weirdo or whatever your name is… Maybe you didn't hear me earlier." She shook the bars a bit. "It's my _birthday_! My brother and sister and parents are probably thinking I got lost in my own closet or something!"

"Which you easily could," the older man pondered, "considering how large it is…"

"That's beside the point. This is supposed to be MY day, not yours! Can't you kidnap someone else?"

"Now that's not very royal-like, your highness. What? Would you have me kidnap another in your stead?"

" _Yes_! In fact, I have a list of people to get you started: Miss Nettle, Slickwell…"

"I've no idea who these people are, but I'm sure they don't come from the royal family of Enchancia. And I have _plans_ for you anyway."

She folded her arms. "If those _plans_ don't include returning me to my home and birthday presents, I don't want to hear it. I'm going to get mad. And believe me, you'll regret this."

Wizrin chuckled and folded his arms. "We'll see about that, princess." He laughed and turned, leaving the room with Amber still fuming.

"Dad!"

Roland and the other adults looked up as the children ran back into the room, a disturbed look on their faces. "Sofia? James? What's the matter?" He frowned in realization. "Where is Amber? Did you find her?"

James shook his head and handed his father the paper left on the girl's bed. "Some lunatic kidnapped her!"

"Who would do that?" Cedric asked both in anger and surprise. Of course, as much as the children annoyed him sometimes, he and Amber had an understanding with each other these days. He was more surprised that _anyone_ was dumb enough to kidnap the most hot-headed princess in Enchancia though. Really, did they _want_ to have their ears yapped off? And the fact that it was the girl's birthday… He almost felt sorry for the kidnapper.

Sofia frowned in worry. "I can think of a few people…"

Roland's eyes glided over the letter to see just what he was up against this time. He began to read the letter aloud…

 _Dear King Roland,_

 _Oh, my, it appears that Princess Amber has been lifted right under your nose. Whoops! How clumsy of you. I assume you wish to get your dear daughter back, so mind my instructions so she will be returned safe and sound._

 _I require three large diamonds, an uncut ruby, and a small pouch of hocus crocus. Have them all delivered to the floating castle in the Outlands by sundown today. Or else, say goodbye to your princess._

 _Sincerely yours,_

 _Aqravusorin_

Cedric groaned with a hand to his forehead. "I should have known," he told the others as they looked toward him. "Only Wizrin would be dumb enough to kidnap a princess of Enchancia for something as trivial as hocus crocus and gems."

Sofia blinked up at her mentor. "You know this guy, Mr. Cedric?"

"He's a bit of a… Well, I guess you could say he is a wizard who doesn't have all his marbles."

James's eyes widened. "Maybe I could give him some of mine so we can get Amber back!"

Despite the situation, Miranda nearly laughed at the boy's misunderstanding yet placed a hand on his shoulder. "What Cedric means, James, is that this wizard guy isn't thinking logically." She looked toward Roland. "What should we do, Rollie?"

Roland frowned and stood from his chair. "We're going to get Amber back. I'm going after her."

"So am I!" James declared firmly.

"No, James, it's too dangerous. I need you and Sofia to stay here with Miranda. I can handle this wizard."

Baileywick cleared his throat and tucked his hands behind his back. "Your Majesty, no offense, but…are you sure you can handle a wizard who likely has magical powers on your own?"

"I can do anything when my daughter is in danger, Baileywick," the king replied evenly.

"Still, wouldn't it be safer to take Cedric with you?"

Cedric's eyes widened as he gaped at the steward.

Baileywick smirked. "I know. I can't believe I said it either."

The sorcerer looked back toward his king. "King Roland… If you need my help, you have it."

Roland hesitated only for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Thank you, Cedric."

Sofia looked at her father and mentor imploringly. "I know you want us to stay here for safety, but I think you two should be careful too. Please don't get hurt, okay? And get Amber back."

Roland nodded. "Don't worry, Sofia. We'll make sure we get Amber back, and this Windbag is going to pay."

Cedric hid a smirk and responded, "That's…Wizrin, Your Majesty."

"Whatever."

At the castle Wizrin owned, Amber was pacing back and forth in her cell. She was bored out of her mind, not to mention hungry. A loud grumble from her stomach reminded her that she'd yet to eat.

A whine escaped her lips and she suddenly growled, shaking the bars furiously. "Wiz-head! Get in here _now_!"

Wizrin faded into the room in a puff of smoke, making the young girl cough and fan it away. " _Wizrin_ , princess," he corrected for what he felt was the hundredth time. "You'd think you would know my name by now."

"I'm hungry," she declared, folding her arms. "You ripped me away from my _birthday meal_ , so I haven't had anything to eat all day. I'd think feeding me is the least you could do after all of this."

The man stroked his beard and shrugged. "Very well. I suppose I can't have a starving hostage. It wouldn't bode well for my plan anyway." With a snap of his fingers, a plate of fruit appeared on the small cot in Amber's cell. "Here you are, princess. Eat up."

The blonde girl eyed the food suspiciously and shot a glare at him. "It isn't poisoned, right?"

He chuckled. "You're a rather untrusting girl, aren't you?"

"You kidnap me from my castle on my _birthday_ and think I'm seriously going to 'trust' you?" She scoffed and picked up a sprig of grapes, thrusting it through the cell bars toward him. "Prove to me it isn't poisoned. You eat some."

The man shrugged and obliged her wishes, consuming the five grapes offered to him. "Satisfied?"

She frowned. "Hmm." Another grumble from her stomach made her whimper slightly before finally giving in. She picked up an apple and bit into it, sighing in content as she finally had a bit of nourishment.

"Well, if you're quite happy now, I really need to get back to my work, so I bid you farewell for now, princess."

Amber gasped. "You're not even going to sing a song for my birthday or anything?"

"Um…why would I do that?" He seemed genuinely confused.

"Are you serious?! I have no goldenberry pancakes, no family and friends, no presents; I am _not_ about to go without a birthday song too! Now hop to it."

"You are rather bossy for a hostage," he remarked as he wracked his brain for a suitable birthday song. "Uh… Okay. Here it is: _Oh, the princess is the birthday girl. She's another year older! The best thing about this birthday is—she doesn't have to share it with her brother! Oh_!"

Amber quirked an eyebrow at him. "This is a terrible song… It doesn't even properly rhyme."

"I'm just getting warmed up!"

"And I _like_ sharing my birthday with James." She folded her arms. "Well, I do this time around anyway…"

"Shall I continue your song?"

"Please don't. I already have hunger pains. I don't need to add a headache to the list…"

Wizrin grumbled, "Fine, see if I make exceptions for you again." He huffed. "Finish your fruit, princess. I have work to do." He disappeared in another trail of smoke, making Amber cough again.

"I really wish he'd quit doing that…" She gazed out the window and sighed, realizing the sun was already waning from its highest point. "Daddy, Mom, please find me, you guys."

"I tell you, Cedric, I can't figure it out," Roland complained to the sorcerer as they were being flown toward their destiny. He was glaring at a map in frustration. "I don't even see the Outlands printed on this ridiculous, overly-complicated-for-no-reason-whatsoever map."

Cedric sighed and looked at the king with a patient stare. "Your Majesty… You have the map upside down."

Roland blinked and then chuckled before turning it the right way. "Whoops."

'Now I see where Prince James gets it from,' Cedric thought to himself before shaking his head. "If I may say so, Your Majesty, when we arrive at the castle, I think it would be best if you let me handle Wizrin while you rescue Princess Amber."

"For once, I agree with you completely, Cedric." He leaned back against the seat of the flying coach. "So what is the deal with this guy anyway? You indicated that he's not exactly…um, functioning well?"

"You could say that. Wizrin is actually older than I am, but he's a bit of a strange one. He was kicked out of Wizarding School for plotting against his professors, and he was unable to hold a steady job for a neighboring kingdom. So he sort of faded into the background, doing little magic tricks every now and then to entertain children and make some money. Then one day, he just sort of…snapped."

"What do you mean by that?"

"According to my father, Wizrin kidnapped one of his former professors and held him for ransom, demanding the same as he did for Princess Amber: three large diamonds, one uncut ruby, and hocus crocus."

"And just what does he intend to do with these things anyway?" the king wondered curiously as he gazed at the collection of demanded items, settled innocently into a bag on his lap.

Cedric shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, Your Majesty, but I honestly hesitate to find out. Gems such as those can be rather harmless in their natural state, but mixed in with hocus crocus and magic…it could be bad."

"Dangerous."

"I'm afraid so…"

Roland frowned and leaned toward the driver. "Faster!"

Amber had long since finished her fruit tray, so now she was back to pacing her cell again. She whimpered when her dress caught onto a jagged piece of stone in the wall. A soft gasp escaping, she gently eased the fabric away from the offending stone. For all that was just _wrong_ about this particular birthday, she wasn't about to add ripping her birth mother's gift to her. It just wasn't happening.

Sighing, the princess folded her arms and slumped onto the cot in the cell. "I'm so _bored_ ," she complained to anyone who would listen. Interestingly enough, she didn't seem to have any neighbors. "Figures. I'm the only hostage, naturally." She glared through the cell bars and said loudly, "You could have at least kidnapped some company, you know! Kind of boring to spend my _birthday_ by _myself_!"

"Are you still whining?" Wizrin asked in a slightly amused tone as he faded into the room again. Luckily this time, he seemed to be out of smoke. "You have got to be the chattiest hostage I've ever taken, Princess Amber. Even my old professor didn't complain as much as you."

The girl looked surprised. "You kidnapped your teacher too? Why? Did he give you too much homework or something?"

"Grr, I don't have to explain myself to you." He folded his arms. "Your father should have found your ransom note by now, and when he comes to save you, I'll finally get what I've been looking for all this time."

"Your own jail cell?" she wondered with a slight scoff. "Because trust me, that's where you'll end up after this is over."

"I see you have little belief in my abilities to escape dire situations, princess. Be prepared to be amazed when the time comes."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Give me a break…"

The flying coachman's eyes widened when he saw the floating castle before them. "Um, Your Majesty…I think we're here," he announced in awe.

Cedric pulled his wand from his robe and glanced toward the king. "Your Majesty, as we discussed previously, if you'll leave Wizrin to me, then you can rescue and protect Princess Amber. However, whatever happens, please don't let him get the gems and hocus crocus. We don't know what he intends to do with them, and with this particular wizard, we'd be better not finding out."

"I agree," Roland stated firmly as they landed on the cobblestones just inside the castle gates.

The two Enchancian inhabitants exited the coach and looked around, noticing something rather strange.

"For a castle, this place sure is empty," Cedric pointed out with a suspicious tone. "One could wonder if he seized the castle too…"

"Let's wonder about that later," Roland suggested as he began hurrying toward the entrance. "Right now we need to find Amber."

Wizrin pressed his hands to his ears a bit tighter when Amber continued chatting about anything and everything she could think of. He knew she was doing it on purpose, but he couldn't just very well eliminate her or anything. It would blow his whole plan and the chance of obtaining his necessary materials would be gone. He groaned loudly, making the princess clam up in surprise. "Do you ever _shut up_?!"

"Excuse me! _I'm_ the one who's be kidnapped here, so I have every right to complain about it…or make the most of it." She grinned and put her hands on her hips as he glowered at her and lowered his hands from his ears. "If you don't like talkative people, then you made a bad choice kidnapping _me_."

"I see that… I'm starting to regret my decision. Perhaps I should have kidnapped your brother or sister instead."

Amber rolled her eyes. "James would probably 'accidentally' blow up something, and Sofia knows magic. Either way, you wouldn't get a moment's peace."

"Seems to be a common theme with your family." Wizrin held out one hand, a small orb of magic forming in it. "I can't risk you getting hurt, but perhaps I could silence you for a while…"

"Perhaps not."

Amber brightened as Wizrin turned upon hearing the familiar voice. "Daddy! Cedric!" She frowned and folded her arms. "What took you so long?! I'm missing my birthday!"

"Amber, priorities," Roland suggested, earning a sigh from his daughter. He glared at Wizrin. "First of all, how dare you kidnap my daughter? You will pay dearly for this."

"Heard it all before," the wizard said with a yawn. "Tell me something I don't know." He grinned and held up his glowing orb originally intended for Amber. "Now let's make things more interesting."

"Your Majesty, move!" Cedric shoved Roland out of the way just as the power blast soared past them both. He held up his wand and aimed it at Wizrin. " _Immobilis_!"

Wizrin froze as Roland grabbed a set of keys hanging from the wizard's fingers and moved forward, opening the gate and releasing the girl.

Roland hugged Amber happily and picked her up. "Oh, Amber, I'm sorry it took so long."

"If we can get out of here and make it back before my party begins, you're forgiven." She grinned as he chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Daddy." She smiled over at the sorcerer. "Thank you too, Cedric."

He blinked before smiling in return. "Any time, Princess Amber." As the king and his daughter moved aside, Cedric glared back at Wizrin. "Just what were you planning to do with the ruby, diamonds, and hocus crocus anyway?"

Wizrin sighed while still frozen. "Ever heard of a Venus flytrap?"

Cedric raised an eyebrow at the older man.

"I was going to make one of my very own…out of gems! Precious, precious gems! Only, for some reason, no one in Enchancia or any kingdom would give me any. And no one knew of hocus crocus, save magic-wielders who wanted nothing to do with me, of course."

"Well, gee, Wizrin, I wonder why." The sorcerer rolled his eyes and glanced back at the king. "What would you like me to do with him, Your Majesty?"

Roland began to speak before Amber beat him to it.

"I have an idea."

Upon returning to the castle in Enchancia, Amber yelped in surprise as Sofia and James both ran toward her and hugged her, knocking them all onto the floor in a giggling heap.

"I missed you guys too," Amber laughed as she sat up.

"What happened to you?" Sofia asked in concern. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Cedric and Daddy saved me, and the wizard who took me is getting his just desserts, so to speak." She giggled.

"Speaking of _desserts_ ," Roland began while holding his stomach, "Cedric and I never got the chance to eat earlier… Uh, Baileywick?"

The steward grinned. "I'm on it, Your Majesty."

While the twins and their family and friends finally celebrated Amber's and James's birthday, Wizrin was now under the watchful eye of three very upset fairies.

"You kidnapped one of our students," Flora told the aged wizard pointedly. "For that, you'll receive proper punishment."

Wizrin smirked as he sat tied to one of the desks in the familiar Royal Prep classroom. "What will you have me do? Write lines until I 'learn my lesson?'"

"I think we'll settle with power extraction," Fauna concluded pleasantly.

Wizrin's smirk immediately fell from his face. "Y-You wouldn't!"

Merryweather grinned as she held up her wand. "Try us."

The end!


End file.
